howdy

[charswifterie]

Hello!

I just joined up because I've started curing and smoking meat this year, and it's becoming a bigger and bigger deal with each project. To date, I've done up 3 kassler Rippchens, a pastrami, and I have a deer corned rump and a modified salt pork curing right now.

I have the most hilarious smoker. I borrowed my neighbor's Mini Chief, and with some 2 x 2s and the box my son's car seat came in, I made a really pretty good hillbilly cold smoker. I'll get some pics up for your guffawing pleasure at some point.

I joined because I saw a post about using something called Bob's Brine. I want to know more about this brine good enough for Bob to put his name to it

Look forward to visiting with ye...

 

[charswifterie]

Here is a picture of my top of the line, high end smoker...

 

[daveomak]

Nice smoker....  that should do a fine job.....

Pop's curing brine maybe....    If you want a little in depth knowledge on curing with nitrite..  this is the place...   or you can PM me....   Dave

Click on the link to open...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/110799/pops6927s-wet-curing-brine

 

[charswifterie]

Thanks, Dave. I've been using a brine I found on a BBQ forum. This is for kassler:

* 4 liters (1 gallon) water
* 350 grams kosher salt
* 225 grams sugar
* 42 grams pink salt1
* Fresh or dried sage leaves
* 1 tsp. dried thyme
* 1 T. juniper berries
* 1 tsp. coriander
* Garlic cloves (optional)

I added a few things, and I cold smoke 6 hours with apple chips, then moist finish in the oven to dilute and drive the smoke on in there. So far the results have been phenomenal. They say smoke 2 hrs with alder, maybe the mild is actually better.

Today I made a big jar of dry cure, 2:1 salt:sugar, and 2.0 oz pink #1 per lb. of salt. Trying to reduce the sugar somewhat. Might start experimenting with molasses, though.

Here is the inside of my high tech smoker. It holds the air inside the box at 100-150˚ F, needs new chips every hour or so. I read that actual cold smoking is under 100˚ F, so I'm in violation. Internal meat temp after 6 hours or more of this is about 100-110.



I'm thinking I'll get this smoke generator and make a large insulated smokebox that I can roll two commercial steel shelving units in and out, but that will be a while....

http://www.smokedaddyinc.com/produc...tem/66-magnum-p-i-g-cold-smoke-generator.html

Oh, I live in Brownbackistan, aka Kansas.

 

[daveomak]

Today I made a big jar of dry cure, 2:1 salt:sugar, and 2.0 oz pink #1 per lb. of salt. Trying to reduce the sugar somewhat. Might start experimenting with molasses, though.

That's pretty much a commercial cure recipe that I use..  Then I'm figuring you add that dry rub/cure at 2% of the weight of the meat...  that's ~ 156 Ppm nitrite.... ~1.4% salt and 0.7% sugar...

That brine must be a short duration soak... it's a little high in nitrite... 

 

[charswifterie]

Well, the recipe said to soak it two days, but I've always left it in twice as long. I figure it would equalize during the moist oven finish, kind of like when you boil a corned beef. The results have always tasted very smooth, not excessively salty. Sounds like I need to do some more research, though.

PM sent.

 

[SmokinAl]

  to SMF!

Glad to have you with us!

Al

 

[gary s]

  Good afternoon and welcome to the forum, from another hot day here in East Texas, and the best site on the web. Lots of great people with tons of information on just about  everything.

Gary

 

[charswifterie]

Thanks! 

Good news today. Every year my bro and I hunt deer, and we have the grind made into smoked sticks at Bowser's, a family owned place in Meriden. Well, it looks like I will be making up our deer sticks this winter! Guess I need to get a real grinder and stuffer. I have a homemade setup involving an old bandsaw motor, but it's not really suitable. I'll find a picture of it at some point and post it for laughs. Kind of on a par with my smoker....

Hope y'all are doing well.

John

 

[wade]

A good grinder and stuffer will save you a shed load of time and effort. Well worth the investment 

 

 

[charswifterie]

That's the long range plan. I have no idea what to get, but I think I'll look a bit beyond Cabela's. They have stuff, but I think I could do way better than that.